How to Create a Successful Video for the Healthcare Industry

All the usual principles of creating an impactful video — such as authenticity, clear storytelling, lively pacing and compelling visuals — apply to healthcare, but there are also a few industry-specific tips we’ve cultivated over our years of shooting videos with healthcare organizations. Follow these tips to avoid common pitfalls and land on a final product that’s all the more effective.

Avoid medical jargon. Let’s start with an organizational overview video (which should be priority #1!). When describing your organization and its mission it’s best to steer clear of any potentially confusing medical terms and or technical jargon. Instead, strive to foster an emotional bond with your viewers by focusing on how approachable, personable and compassionate the organization is. This is a story that is best told through your people, and that should appear consistent from the C-suite to reception. The trust and warmth you establish with your prospects, partners and the industry at large will serve as the stalwart foundation for every other message you share with them.

…Unless you’re creating long form content. Once you have your high-level overview video completed and you’ve established the human side of your brand, video is a great option to delve deeper into specific clinical, regulatory, or technical topics. Still, keep a conversational tone and consider using on-screen text or motion graphics to reinforce the spoken word and improve information retention. And as always, keep the videos as short as possible.

Proactively address the anxieties of your prospects. Your viewers are likely watching your video because they’re looking to solve a problem, whether it is related to their personal health or the health of their organization. Take their most common anxieties or concerns and incorporate reassuring responses into the messaging and visuals of your video. Take a step outside of your organization, product or service and put yourself into the shoes of those you want the video to resonate with. This will help foster that emotional bond we talked about earlier.

Account for the perspective of all the key players.The most compelling, well rounded stories often include the voices of medical professionals and the patients or people they impact; not just one or the other. This isn’t exclusive to just physicians and patients, it could be a doctor and a nurse or an executive and a network administrator or a medical assistant and a pharmacist. The point is that each side speaks to entirely different aspects of your messaging strategy, which together can form a more cohesive, complete and impactful picture. People relate to the experiences of others wearing similar shoes, but they also benefit greatly from the perspectives of their bosses, caregivers, partners, etc.

Healthcare people are busy and often have unpredictable schedules. It seems obvious, but I can’t count the number of times we’ve had healthcare-focused interviews nixed at the last minute. This is particularly true for physicians, who are often on call or must attend to emergencies. We’ve learned from experience to always schedule our subjects when they’re least likely to be called in, and we always have a plan B,C and D, just in case.

We hope these tips help you produce even more engaging and impactful healthcare videos for your organization. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, and happy shooting!

“I think an important step in the process is preparation; taking the time to understand the topic and role each interviewee has in the story (patient or provider) and then looking for the places where our key messages intersect with that information. I’ve always appreciated the fact that Matter took the time to do this because it helped craft a strategic, yet conversational, interview. It gives you the ability to anticipate potential follow-up questions and lead interviewees beyond the script that they may have mentally prepared prior to the interview, and that’s where authenticity shines through.”

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